It's not the fall that kills you
by DizzyDrea
Summary: It's a truth universally acknowledged that Deltan telepathy makes non-Deltans go insane. But that's really only part of the story, and Deeks is about to find that out at the worst possible moment. An NCIS: Los Angeles/Star Trek: Alternate Original Series fusion. Part 2 of NCIS: Starfleet.


Title: It's not the fall that kills you  
Author: DizzyDrea  
Summary: It's a truth universally acknowledged that Deltan telepathy makes non-Deltans go insane. But that's really only part of the story, and Deeks is about to find that out at the worst possible moment.  
Rating: M (serious about this here)  
Spoilers: Nothing specific  
Author's Notes: And now it's a series! The inspiration for this story came out of the idea that Deltan telepathy makes non-Deltan's go insane. It was a throw-away line in Unforeseen Complications that Muse latched onto and ran with. Kensi/Deeks is growing on me, apparently, because I seem to have written an entire story about them. The title comes from a Doug Adams quote, "It's not the fall that kills you, it's the sudden stop at the end." Posted on a Monday because Sunday was crazy busy (and the Downton season finale; wasn't gonna miss that!).  
Disclaimer: NCIS and NCIS: Los Angeles and all its particulars are the property of CBS, Paramount, Donald P. Bellisario, Belisarius Productions, Shane Brennan, Shane Brennan Productions, and a lot of other people who aren't me. I am doing this for fun and for practice. Mostly for fun.

~o~

Kensi Blye crept quietly down the dank corridor, eyes constantly roaming the dim interior even as she listened for anything out of place. A slight squishing sound made her wince as she looked down to find her foot in a puddle.

A snicker from somewhere off to her right drew a scowl out of her, not that her companions could see it, with the flickering lighting and shadows pouring out from every corner. If she had to guess, the snicker had come from Sam Hanna; Callen wouldn't have made a sound just in case Goon 1 and Goon 2 weren't the only bad guys guarding this section of Down Below.

She rolled her eyes at herself. _Great, now I'm_ thinking _like my partner_.

Thoughts of Marty Deeks sobered her. Two days ago, the four of them had arrived at Starbase Deep Space 3, investigating reports of the Orion Syndicate trading in items stolen from Starfleet facilities on three different worlds. In the single day they'd spent investigating, they must have drawn more attention to themselves than they'd realized, because Deeks had been grabbed while returning to his quarters the night before and no one had seen him since. At least, no one that was willing to talk.

'Fleet Security had noticed some unusual activity in Down Below, though, so the three of them had volunteered to investigate. The two heavily armed goons guarding the alley had been a dead giveaway.

Kensi paused when she heard a faint noise up ahead. It sounded like raised voices, though whether they were arguing or cheering was anybody's guess. She felt the warmth of a body slipping in behind her, as her teammate spoke in low tones to avoid his voice carrying.

"Sounds like we might have found the place," Sam said.

Kensi nodded, though she knew he couldn't see her. "They're clearly worked up about something."

"This would be a whole lot easier if we knew the layout of the place," Callen said from across the corridor.

Down Below was the dark underbelly of the space station, and most of the construction work in that section had been abandoned only partially completed when word had come down that the Romulans had attacked Vulcan. In the years since that attack, no one had come back to finish the job, so the denizens of Down Below had simply moved in and taken over. The result was a mish-mash of 'Fleet construction and shantytown, which made it nearly impossible to find your way around unless you knew the area well.

It had been sheer dumb luck that they'd stumbled on the right location, but Kensi would take it if it meant getting her partner back.

They inched their way along the corridor, well aware that they were exposed without cover, sitting ducks if there were more goons in the immediate vicinity. Sam stayed behind her as Callen moved along the opposite wall.

She was grateful that he was keeping his distance; the stress of the situation was causing her to bleed telepathically, and she knew he'd be able to pick up on it. It wasn't so much that she didn't want him to realize just how affected she was, but that her inability to control her telepathy might harm him in some way. They were about as incompatible as two telepaths could get, and beyond the fact that Callen was bonded, she knew that extended exposure to her telepathy could and had caused him pain in the past. She never wanted him to have to experience that again.

They reached a bend in the corridor, and Kensi poked her head around the corner, spotting two more armed goons guarding the door of a shop that looked like it had gone out of business. They could hear noises from beyond the door, more clearly now that they were close.

It definitely sounded like someone was being tortured inside.

Kensi turned to look at Sam, raising one eyebrow as she glanced across at Callen. None of them would risk discussing how to proceed, given the proximity of the two gun-toting goons, but she knew from long years of experience that Callen could communicate telepathically with Sam as long as it was one-way.

Sure enough, Sam nodded at Callen before turning to her. "They're making so much noise in there, I doubt they'd hear a shock grenade unless it dropped into their laps."

Kensi quirked a smile as she flicked her gaze back to Callen, nodding briefly to let him know she understood the plan. Shoot the two goons with their phasers, then hit the door and hope the guys inside weren't fast on the draw. It wasn't much, as far as plans go, but the longer they waited, the less likely they'd be to find Deeks alive.

If he was even in there, which Kensi flat refused to think about.

Sam held up three fingers, getting a nod from both his teammates. He dropped one finger, then the next. When the last one dropped, all three burst around the corner.

Kensi took aim at the goon on the left, while Callen hit the one on the right. They both dropped like sacks of flour as Sam took point, kicking in the door just in case they'd been heard.

What they saw when they entered the room made Kensi's blood run cold.

Deeks was inside, strapped to a crude replica of the Neural Neutralizer that Starfleet had banned after it was used on Tantalus V by a scientist who'd lost his mind. The device had been intended to calm those with psychotic tendencies, but a few adjustments and it could be made to force a person to do things they'd never imagine doing in other circumstances, as had happened at Tantalus. No one had wanted that incident to get out, but it looked like more than that had happened.

Arrayed around the room were at least a half-dozen armed guards. Sam and Callen had taken on the two flanking the door. She could hear the sounds of bones crunching, but she only had eyes for Deeks and the slight, humanoid man standing over him. She fired on two of the guards who'd begun to advance on her as the other two turned their attention to her teammates.

"Back off," she called out to the man hovering over Deeks.

"I don't think you want me to do that, young lady," he said, smirking at her in a way that made her skin crawl.

"I don't particularly care what you want," Kensi said. She crossed to stand beside Deeks, aiming over the chair at the man who held her teammate's life in his hands. "Back. Off."

Wisely, he raised his hands, taking a step back away from her. Kensi reached down and fumbled with the straps holding Deeks to the chair. Another set of hands joined hers, and she looked up to find Callen helping her free Deeks. The discharge of a phaser brought both of their heads up.

The man who'd been torturing Deeks lay on the floor, a small hand phaser beside him. Kensi looked over at Sam, nodding her thanks to him. She tried hard not to think about the fact that the phaser could have been set to kill.

"Somebody's gonna need to interrogate him," Sam said, pointing his chin at the man on the floor.

Both men looked to Kensi, who glanced down at Deeks. He was unconscious, and likely to stay that way, at least for the time being. Besides, given than the man was unconscious, she was the only one of them that could get a read on him; Callen, for all his Betazoid talents, couldn't read anyone who wasn't awake and aware. "Yeah, let me have a look."

She tucked her phaser into its holster as she moved around the chair. Kneeling down, she laid both hands over his cheeks and closed her eyes, pressing her mind into his. She dove deep, crashing through every barrier his subconscious mind threw up. She wasn't being subtle, but she didn't need to be: their phasers hadn't been set to stun, so he was fading even as she chased the information they needed.

Finally, she'd gathered what she could. She ripped herself from his mind, leaving him gasping and convulsing as his body finally gave up the fight.

"You get it?" Sam asked.

Kensi looked up, finding him standing over her, phaser drawn as he covered her back. "Yeah, I got it." She stood up stretching her neck as she tried to shake off the lingering sense of sliminess that prolonged telepathic contact with the man had left. "He works for the Syndicate. They're not actually dealing in weapons; they're taking them as payment for—"

"Let me guess," Sam said, smirking. "They're taking the Federation weapons in payment for slaves."

"Because what else would the Orions be trading in?" Kensi asked, though they all knew the answer.

"Do we know where the Orions are basing their operations?" Callen asked.

Kensi turned, seeing Callen watching her, Deeks still oblivious in the chair. "He only knew how to reach his contact. I'm guessing they didn't want to risk him knowing too much. He's a freelancer. They needed to know what 'Fleet Security knows, or else they'd never have taken the risk."

"Well, we can't stay here and wait to see who else shows up," Sam said. "Can he move?"

As if on cue, Deeks groaned, his head lolling to one side as his eyes fluttered. Kensi stepped up in front of the chair, kneeling down to be at eye level. She reached out and patted his cheek, trying to encourage him to open his eyes. Finally, he slitted his eyes open, squinting at Kensi as a goofy smile broke over his face.

"Hey, Kens!" he slurred, hand flailing out so that Kensi had to duck out of the way or risk being smacked. "Did the dry cleaner's have your car?"

Sam snorted his amusement, but Kensi frowned. "What does that mean?"

"My ice skates!" Deeks said, lurching forward and making a grab for his shoe. "I need my ice skates!"

Kensi stood up, her confused frown morphing into concern. "How long did they have him in this thing?"

"It might not have been that long," Callen said. "It looks like it's an incomplete copy, so it probably didn't work the way they expected it to."

"Great," Sam said. "He was bad before, now he's gonna be impossible."

"Can he walk?" Kensi asked.

"The rain in Spain is mainly in the plain!" Deeks sang merrily, and off key.

"I don't like the odds of trying to carry him," Sam said, "but we may not have a choice."

Kensi looked at Deeks, who was currently trying to get a look at his back. He looked a lot like a puppy chasing his own tail, and even Kensi had to snicker.

"Come on, Deeks," Sam said as Callen came around the chair and lent a hand getting Deeks up.

They looped his arms around their shoulders and wrapped their arms around his middle. Kensi drew her phaser and the group slowly made their way out of the storefront, heading towards the main access for Down Below.

~o~

Once outside, they headed back the way they came. Progress came in fits and starts, though, because Deeks couldn't seem to resist examining each new door or sign or, in one memorable case, a drunk Andorian. And because Deeks was not a small man, even Sam with his superior strength, could barely keep him from falling down, much less wandering off.

It was made worse by the crowds. On a good day, Down Below was a messy combination of drifters and those just barely getting by. It was busy but not overcrowded. Now, though, the crowds were pressing in, and it had only gotten worse the closer to the lifts they got.

"He's like a drunk puppy," Sam complained as they paused for a moment, all of them watching the crowds warily.

"I could use a corset," Deeks muttered happily. "Then things wouldn't be so crooked."

All three agents looked at each other, concern etched into the lines on their faces.

"We need to get him to Medical ASAP," Kensi said what they were all thinking.

A shout from somewhere up ahead caught their attention. Callen moved in the direction of the noise as people began to spill out of rooms and side corridors and into the main walkway. When he returned, it was with a frown on his face.

"I don't like this," he said. "Everyone's headed for the lifts. It has all the hallmarks of a riot in the making."

"We should get out of here," Sam said. He hoisted Deeks over his shoulder into a fireman's carry and headed for the exits, Callen and Kensi following in his wake.

But, the closer they got to the lifts, the more chaotic things became. Sam lowered Deeks to the floor, leaning him up against a bulkhead.

"We need to see if 'Fleet Sec can give us a hand," Sam said.

Callen appeared to consider that for a moment before he nodded. "Alright, you and I will go see if we can get them to clear a path. Kensi, you stay here with Deeks."

"Just don't take too long," Kensi said. "I don't like the looks of this crowd."

Sam gave her a smile that seemed to say _who, us?_ As they disappeared into the crowd, Kensi couldn't help the shiver that ran down her spine. She didn't like this, at all, but there wasn't much she could do about it.

The spanging sound of a phaser blast hitting the wall caught her attention. She swung her head in the direction of the sound, moving closer to Deeks as she did. If 'Fleet Sec had resorted to firing on the crowd, things had officially gone from bad to worse.

"Kensi?"

Callen's voice crackled through the comms earpiece she was wearing. Tapping it, she answered with a curt, "Where the hell are you?"

A burst of static greeted her, and then Callen's voice came through. "'Fleet Sec won't let us come back for you. They've barricaded the lift area. This place is on the verge of a riot and they won't risk it. Can you get Deeks here by yourself?"

Kensi looked at Deeks, who'd started slumping, barely conscious now but still muttering. "No, I can't. He's basically out on his feet."

She heard a few uncomplimentary words over the comms. Callen must have been paying attention, because until now, they would all have agreed that Kensi was the most colorful swearer among them. She'd be proud that she'd taught him so much, except now wasn't the time.

"Kensi, get yourself and Deeks someplace safe," Sam said. "We'll contact you when things have calmed down."

"Copy that," Kensi said.

She tapped her communicator to disconnect and turned to look at her partner. She hadn't been kidding that he was nearly out on his feet. His head was lolling from one side to the other, and it looked like the wall was the only thing holding him up. Well, that and force of habit.

"Alright, partner," she said, tucking her shoulder under his arm and practically dragging him along. "Let's see if we can find someplace to hide."

This close, she could hear the muttering, something about being too sexy for his shirt, which Kensi was not going to examine too closely. The crowds that had been flocking to the barricades were making progress difficult, so Kensi turned them down an alley. She spotted a door up ahead, one that thankfully had a lock.

Using her override code, she opened the door and dragged Deeks inside, propping him up against the wall as she dove for the door controls and entered her override code once more, closing the door and locking them in. The press of a few more buttons and some emergency lighting came on, revealing what was probably intended to be a storage closet. It was bare, of course, maybe six feet across, but it would do for the time being.

Deeks slid down the wall, moaning now, and clutching his head as if he were in pain. She dropped to her knees and grasped both his hands, opening her mind to his so she could at least assess the damage.

Kensi could see the lightning splinter over the landscape of his mind, illuminating the fractured pieces and jagged edges of what was once a bright intellect, now reduced to incoherent babbling. She sobbed aloud for all that this man had been forced to endure.

She could sense Deeks' pain, but there wasn't a whole lot she could do to help. She was only half Deltan, so she'd never developed the empathy that full Deltans used to perform the mind meld anesthesia, as it had come to be called. Her heart broke, tears flowing down her face at the helplessness of knowing that her partner was damaged and not being able to do anything about it.

Well, there _was_ something she could do. She just wasn't sure he'd want her to do it. But what other choice did she have? If she didn't do something, his mind would fracture into ever smaller pieces and he'd be lost, comatose and unable to interact with the world around him.

Wiping her eyes with the back of her hand, Kensi set her resolve. She wasn't going to let this be the end of Marty Deeks. Not if she could help it.

"I hope you can forgive me," she said as she cupped his cheeks and pressed their foreheads together.

"Nothing... to... forgive..." he forced out. She looked into his eyes, seeing the pain, but also a moment of clarity. He nodded, as much as he could while being held in place. "Do it, Kens."

"Are you sure?" she asked. She had no idea if he'd even come out the other side, but despite her own doubts, she knew she had to try. "You don't even—"

"It's okay," he gasped out, a grimace twisting his expression. "Just do it."

Kensi stared into his eyes, seeing the trust through the pain. "Right," she said. "Just do it."

She reached up and unzipped her jacket, then untucked her shirt. Deeks smiled goofily, but if he had any idea what was about to happen, it was lost in the jumble that his mind had become.

Taking a deep breath, she leaned in and settled her hand at the back of his neck as she unleashed the sexual energy that always rode just under her skin. She leaned in close as she let her mind flow into his, filling him up with her own desire. She skimmed her other hand down his chest until it settled over the bulge in his pants, squeezing and pressing until she felt him respond.

"Oh, hey!" he said as she licked and nibbled his ear. His hands flailed a bit before they settled on her hips as his own hips bucked up involuntarily. "What the—"

"Just go with it, Deeks," she whispered in a low tone.

His answering moan drew a smile out of her. In some ways, sex with Deeks was proving just as easy as it had been with Deltan men. He seemed to be responding to her touch far faster than she'd expected, running his hands up under her shirt, the path of his fingers setting fire to her in a way she'd never experienced before.

Kensi continued to kiss and lick and nibble her way along his neck as she twined her mind over and through and around Deeks', drawing them together deeper and deeper. Instead of recoiling at the telepathic intrusion as she'd expected, he seemed to sink into it, drawing closer to her as she moved closer to him.

She felt his strokes go from idle wandering to purposeful as he glided around to cup her breasts through the fabric of her bra. He pinched and twisted the nubs, and Kensi threw her head back, a loud moan escaping her as Deeks leaned in to attack her neck now that it had been exposed. They tumbled backwards, Deeks landing on top of her as he pressed his arousal into her belly. Kensi hitched her legs around his hips, pulling him into contact with her and arching her back as her arousal spiked.

Without conscious thought, she flooded him with her mind, entwining them so tightly that they were no longer Kensi and Deeks but _KensiandDeeks_. And with that, her body needed no further stimulation, her orgasm ripping through her body and mind, forcing Deeks' orgasm from him like a punch to the gut.

Sensation rippled out from them, washing back and forth, binding them to each other even more tightly than before. Deeks went from rigid to limp in an instant, and Kensi circled her arms around him, rubbing his back and breathing steadily.

Kensi was aware of nothing but the vibrant pulsing of her partner's mind entwined with her own. There was no concept of _self_ , as tightly bound as they were. There was only _them_ and memories of growing up on Earth and Seyann, of the pain and heartbreak of losing a parent, of the joy of finding a home at Section 31.

"What the—"

The voice was twinned, as though they both spoke at the same time, though neither of them was speaking out loud.

"This is Unity," they said, though it was clear that only Kensi understood what had happened.

Deeks buried his head further into her neck. She could feel his confusion; though they were still two beings, by sharing their minds he could sense everything she was feeling both emotionally and physically. Holding her and being held. Stroking his back and being stroked. This was the point where humans freaked out and went insane, unable to deal with the twin sensations and the memories, thoughts and feelings that weren't their own.

Instead, Deeks simply passed out.

"Great," Kensi muttered, the weight of her partner's unconscious body pressing her into the cold, unforgiving deck plating.

~o~

Hours later, they were still trapped in the same utility closet. Kensi had maneuvered them so that she could sit with her back against the wall, Deeks' head resting in her lap.

She'd kept her mind entangled with his long after he'd lost consciousness, hoping that the prolonged contact would begin to heal the damage the machine had done. She knew that he'd need more than what she could provide, but some instinct told her that he needed her close, at least for a little while.

Outside their sanctuary, the sounds of the riot had quieted down. Callen and Sam still hadn't made contact, but given that Deeks was still out, she knew they weren't going anywhere anyway.

She leaned her head back against the wall, allowing her fingers to stroke through Deeks' ridiculously long hair. She knew that doing that was more to comfort herself than him, but she couldn't seem to help herself. She knew this would change things between them. How much she still wasn't certain. Deeks had spent a large portion of the time they'd known each other hitting on her, but she had no idea if it was just reflex for him, or if it had deeper meaning. Mostly because the man himself hadn't really known. That had come through Unity loud and clear.

In some ways, she was reluctant to move from their hiding place, because that would mean the time to confront what had happened was closer, and if she could put that off indefinitely, she would. Because when it came right down to it, she wasn't sure how she felt about what had happened herself.

For Deltans, sex was a way to connect with someone else. It was as casual as a handshake on Earth, just as frequent, and held little of the import that sex among humans had. It was why Starfleet required any Deltan wanting to serve to sign a Vow of Celibacy. Because humans, even though they professed to have casual sex on a regular basis, didn't really understand the Deltan perspective on sex, which had caused many problems in the past.

Having been raised by a human father, Kensi had a firmer grasp on human sexuality, but it only made her own motivations when it came to sex a bit more muddled. And the fact that it was Deeks this time only made it that much more complicated.

Suddenly, her communicator crackled to life. "Kensi? Do you copy?"

Kensi reached up and tapped the earpiece. "I read you, Callen."

"Oh, thank god," Callen said, and the relief in his voice was clear. "Status?"

"We're okay," Kensi said. "Deeks is unconscious at the moment, but our position is secure."

"'Fleet Security still isn't letting anyone into Down Below, but if you can reach the barricades, we'll be there waiting for you."

Kensi looked down at the unconscious man in her lap. She'd hoped he'd wake up on his own, but she knew she could wake him up if she had to. And they really couldn't afford to stay any longer than necessary. They had no idea when or if the riot would flare up again, so moving now, when it was relatively quiet, was the smart thing to do.

"We're on our way," Kensi said, making the only decision she could. They weren't actually that far away from the barricades, but not knowing how much damage had been done in the interim, she had no idea how long it would take to reach safety. "Give us about fifteen minutes to get moving."

"Understood," Callen said. "We'll see you soon."

The signal went dead, so Kensi tapped the comm to cut her end. She sighed, looking down at her partner, considering the best way to wake him. Thankfully, he stirred before she could come to a decision.

"Jesus," Deeks said, face wrinkled in pain. "I feel like I've gone ten rounds with a Nausican."

He pushed up off her lap and leaned against the wall beside her, rubbing his hands over his face.

"Do you remember what happened?" Kensi asked.

Deeks shook his head, trying to chase away the cob webs. "I remember heading back to our quarters after dinner, but then nothing. What the hell happened to me?"

"You were grabbed on the way back to your room," Kensi said. "They were freelancers working for the Orion Syndicate, trying to find out what we knew about their operation."

"Let me guess: human trafficking," Deeks said.

"What else would it be?" Kensi said, frowning. "They were torturing you for information when we found you. Do you remember any of it?"

"Not really," Deeks said. "Which may be a blessing, because torture and me don't really mix. Although, I seem to remember..."

"Remember what?"

"I don't know," Deeks said, pinching his nose. "It's like a dream. You and me, only it wasn't really you and me, it was us. Not two people, but one person. Kinda freaky, actually. Doesn't make much sense, does it?"

Kensi sighed. "It makes more sense than you know." She bit her lip, debating for half a second whether she should tell him what happened between them. But, she knew he had a right to know; if it had been her, she'd want to know. "We shared Unity, Deeks. It was the only way I could keep your mind from splintering too far to come back from."

"Wow," Deeks said, glancing at her but not really looking her in the eye. Then, his head swung around, eyes huge. "So, wait. Does that mean we're married now?"

Kensi couldn't help it; she reached out and punched Deeks on the arm. "That's not how Deltan telepathy works, and you know it," she hissed.

"Ow," Deeks said, rubbing the offended limb. "Hey, watch that. I'm wounded here."

"Yeah, you seem fine to me," she muttered. "Callen says things have calmed down enough that we should be able to make it to the barricades. He and Sam will meet us there. You up for getting out of here?"

Deeks let his head fall back against the wall for a moment, closing his eyes as if he could shut out everything just by ignoring it. "Yeah, just give me a minute."

"Unfortunately, partner, we don't have a minute," Kensi said.

She pushed herself up and turned to Deeks, holding out a hand to help him up. He rolled his eyes and took her hand, allowing her to lever him up from the floor. Almost immediately, he swayed and nearly fell into her arms, his eyes slamming shut as he groaned.

"Who, easy there," she said, sliding her shoulder under his to hold him up. She waited until he seemed steadier. "You okay?"

"Yeah," he said tightly, "just a little dizzy."

Kensi had no idea if that was a side-effect of the Unity or the torture. She'd never had a sexual partner who'd been dizzy afterwards, but then again, she'd never shared Unity with a non-Deltan, either, despite the fact that she'd had sex with plenty of non-Deltans. Although, she wasn't entirely certain that what they'd done constituted sex, either. They'd both been fully clothed, and while they'd both gotten off, it had been somewhat less that personal.

"Okay," Deeks said. His voice was still tight, and his eyes were still closed, but he seemed steadier. He opened his eyes and looked at her. "Let's get out of here. The sooner we get back to civilization, the sooner I can get a shower and into some clean clothes. And some painkillers. God, do I have a headache."

"Yeah," Kensi said. "Let's go."

She entered her code into the lock, and they stepped through the open door into a mostly quiet corridor. Kensi kept her arm around Deeks, who was still mostly leaning on her, as she turned them towards the barricades.

"And then maybe you can tell me why it feels like I came in my pants like a teenager."

Kensi rolled her eyes. Of course he wouldn't let that go.

~o~

A few minutes later, the barricades swam into view. They hadn't encountered much in the way of people on their way; the ones who'd been out and about had been moving fast, heads down, as if they were afraid to linger too long and be the spark for another round of rioting.

Kensi could see Callen and Sam standing behind a phalanx of 'Fleet Security personnel in full riot gear, shields at the ready. She pulled her credentials out of her jacket pocket and flashed them at the guards watching the barricades as they hobbled forwards. Deeks was sagging more with each step, but somehow they managed to reach the barricade.

The guards parted and Callen and Sam stepped forward. Sam slung Deeks' arm over his shoulder just as Deeks lost the battle with consciousness, slumping into their teammate like a wrung-out dishrag.

"He okay?" Callen asked.

"Mostly," Kensi said. "I think. He was coherent when he woke up, anyway."

"How'd you manage that?" Sam asked. "Last we saw, he was blabbering like an idiot."

Kensi shook her head. "You don't want to know."

Callen gave her a sharp look, but thankfully didn't ask questions. "We've got transport waiting for us on the docking ring. We've been cleared for departure as soon as we board."

"Sounds like you've been busy," Kensi said.

Sam hoisted Deeks into a fireman's carry and headed for the lifts as Callen filled her in on the last 18 hours. The news wasn't good: the Orion ship they'd seen lurking in the area had fled not long after they'd raided their suspect's hideout, suggesting someone else on the station was collaborating with them. And because of the riots, they had no idea who their suspects might have been working with; for all they knew, those people were long gone by now, too.

Kensi rubbed her temples, feeling a headache coming on that had nothing to do with mental exertion and everything to do with a shitty day gone to hell. She had to hope that at least some of the intel she'd been able to extract from their suspect would be useful, because if it wasn't, then the whole thing was for nothing and that cost was too high.

They arrived at the docking ring in record time, thanks to Callen's override code. Once there, they headed straight for a small shuttle docked on the outermost section of the ring. A familiar face greeted them as the boarded.

Callen moved past Kensi and Sam and directly into Nell's arms, holding her close for a few long moments as Kensi helped Sam get Deeks settled on the long couch in the main compartment.

"What are you doing here?" she heard Callen murmur.

"I was on an errand for Hetty when I heard you guys could use a pick-up," Nell said.

Kensi glanced over at them and saw Callen cupping Nell's jaw, their heads close together but their eyes unfocused as they reached out telepathically for each other. It was rare for them to be separated for extended periods of time since they'd bonded months ago, but the team had had to follow the evidence wherever it led, so they'd been gone for the better part of a week.

Leave it to Hetty—the galaxy's only closet-romantic-Vulcan to make sure Callen and Nell got to see each other sooner rather than later.

Kensi had never been jealous of Callen and Nell's relationship before, but she found herself wishing for things she couldn't have. She quickly squashed that feeling. She was honestly happy for them, and she wouldn't let her complicated relationship with Deeks mar that. No matter how much she might wish that things were different.

Once they'd gotten Deeks settled, Callen slipped into the co-pilot's seat and they were lifting off. Kensi settled on the couch, Deeks' head once again pillowed on her lap. The trip back to Earth would be faster than the trip out—mostly because they didn't have to zig-zag all over following the evidence, but also because the Section 31 shuttles were faster than their 'Fleet counterparts.

Unfortunately, that meant that they'd be getting back sooner and that she'd have to deal with the fallout from the events of the day sooner than she'd like.

~o~

Two days later, Kensi was finally walking through the front door of her apartment. It hadn't taken that long, by most standards, to get back to Earth. But when they'd arrived there'd been the long and necessary debrief—which only Deeks had gotten out of due to still being shaky at best—followed by the long and detailed after action report—which, again, Deeks had managed to avoid due to being holed up in Medical with an odd assortment of doctors and telepathic healers.

On the whole, and despite the fact that she herself was a telepath, Kensi was glad she could manage with just a cursory medical scan.

She headed straight for her room and the shower, because even though she'd showered at 'Fleet HQ, she never really felt as clean as she wanted to until she'd showered at home. It wasn't logical—something Hetty had said on numerous occasions—but it was true.

She was just brushing out her hair, having thrown on a pair of lounge pants and a loose t-shirt, when her door chime rang. She had no idea who it would be though. Sam had gone home to his wife, and Callen and Nell were no doubt holed up at their place, making up for lost time. But it had to be someone she knew. She lived in one of the high-rise buildings near 'Fleet HQ, but the doorman wouldn't let someone up unless they were on a very short list, and most everyone on that list was elsewhere.

Shrugging her shoulders, she knew she wouldn't find out who it was until she went to answer the door. Selfishly, there was only one person she really wanted it to be, but that was also the person she dreaded facing.

When she pressed the door activator, it swooshed open to reveal Deeks, leaning against the door frame, looking a little the worse for all he'd been through. Kensi knew she was staring, but she couldn't help herself. He was the last person she expected, even though he was the only one she really wanted to see.

"I wasn't expecting you to be released so soon," she said.

"Yeah, well, they got tired of me whining about the lack of green jello," Deeks said casually, though his demeanor was anything but casual. His pose may have been relaxed, his smile crooked and easy, but Kensi could see the fine tremors and stiff posture.

"Should you even be out of bed, Deeks?" she asked, even as she stepped aside and allowed him into her apartment.

"Eh," he said, shrugging as he made his way inside. "There's not a whole lot more they can do for me."

He shed his jacket onto a chair and turned to face her, his eyes searching her face for something. She knew what he was looking for; she just didn't know what he hoped to find.

Long minutes ticked by as they stared at each other. She knew she should say something, but words failed her. And what was there to say? She'd done what she did, and she would do it again in a heartbeat if it meant saving his life. She wasn't going to regret that for even an instant.

"I guess I just have one question," Deeks finally said.

"Oh?" Kensi asked. "And what's that?"

"Did you take the Deltan Vow of Celibacy?"

"The what?" Kensi asked. That was so not on the list of questions she'd thought he'd ask. She shook her head. "No, I didn't. I'm only half-Deltan. It wasn't required, so I didn't do it."

Deeks sagged, a look of pure relief crossing his face. In the seconds it took him to cross the room and sweep her into his arms, she realized he'd been holding back out of respect for her and her heritage. And then his lips descended on hers, sending a burning heat sizzling over her skin, electricity arcing everywhere they touched.

He pulled back, but only far enough to kiss and nibble his way along her jaw, stopping at her ear for a brief visit before resuming his trek along the column of her neck. His hands began to roam her body in a familiar pattern as he nudged her into motion, backing her through her apartment.

"Deeks," she said, trying to get his attention even as she joined his exploration.

"Bed," he countered, returning to her earlobe and sending a spike of heat through her.

"Deeks, we need to talk—"

He swallowed her words in a kiss as they stumbled their way across the room, clothing dropping in a breadcrumb trail behind them.

"Nothing to talk about," he said when they'd come up for air. He kept nibbling at her neck, the vibrations of his voice sending tingles along her skin. "They said whatever you did probably saved my sanity, if not my life."

"Gods, Deeks," Kensi said, shock rippling through her.

"Also, whatever you did remapped my brain," he said. He pulled back, looking into her eyes. "They said my brain is more Deltan than human now. Which means…"

He wagged his eyebrows and Kensi just frowned. Deeks rolled his eyes.

"Which means I'm probably not going to go nuts the next time we share Unity," he said softly. "And I very much want to share Unity with you again."

Kensi went still. Before, she'd have said she couldn't be more shocked, but she'd have been wrong. Whatever she'd done had rewired Deeks' brain, done untold damage, and all because she couldn't bear to let him go. Why had she thought she had the right? And yes, she'd told herself a hundred times since that day that she'd do it again in a heartbeat if it meant saving his life, but what would the price be? Had she changed him? Had she hurt him?

"I'm sor—"

"Don't," Deeks said, laying a finger over her lips. "Do _not_ say you're sorry. I'm alive, when I probably shouldn't be. And I'm not a vegetable, and I probably should be. I will never blame you for what you did, no matter the consequences."

Kensi shook her head. That was all kinds of wrong, but she couldn't say it because she didn't believe it. Wrong or not, he was here now, alive and well and the same man he'd been last week, last month, last year.

And he was here, now, in her apartment, willing to share with her the most sacred experience two people could have. However selfish it might be, she was going to grab onto it with both hands and never let go.

She settled her hand at the back of his neck and pressed their foreheads together. She opened her mind to him, lowering the shields that had become second nature around her human friends. Deeks' mind opened like Jasmine under the moonlight, flowing easily and eagerly into her own.

And then he nudged her one last time and she felt herself falling, landing softly on her back on the bed, staring up at the most amazing man she'd ever known. He settled over her, his eyes shining with an indescribable joy. It was hard for her not to feel it—connected as they were, mind to mind—so she didn't even try, just let it wash over her in endless waves until it had settled into her soul.

He looked down into her face, the intensity of his gaze sending shivers up and down her spine. "Now that I have you, I'm never, ever letting you go."

~Finis

* * *

Author's Notes Post-Script:  
The concept of "Down Below" is not mine; it comes from _Babylon 5_. I borrowed it here because it made sense in context.

Also, Deeks' line, "Did the dry cleaner's have your car?" comes from the 1995 remake of Sabrina starring Harrison Ford, Julia Ormond and Greg Kinnear (one of my dad's favorite movies). The line actually comes from Greg Kinnear's character, and he says it when he's drugged to the gills, so it totally fit and I couldn't resist using it.

And yeah, Deeks' line about being too sexy for his shirt comes from that song by Right Said Fred, because Deeks is apparently a late-twentieth century music junkie. Go figure.


End file.
